Early promotion
by readme-silly
Summary: A sober Tsunade argues that Shikamaru's not the only one who deserves chuunin rank. Naruto gets an unexpected surprise when he is promoted alongside the lazy Nara. Three chapter oneshot. Rated M for language. Will continue if demand is high.
1. Chapter 1

Tsunade was just beginning to realize why Jiraiya never wanted to take the seat of hokage. Being restricted to a desk job while others went on with their lives was exactly the kind of thing that put her mood in the gutter, and she would have stoned herself silly on sake too had Shizune not been compelled to hide all her alcoholic comforts that morning, spouting nonsense (in her opinion) about how the hokage is supposed to serve as the public image of an ideal ninja.

Now, however, with her mind being as clear as it ever would be, she was able to notice one small curious detail on the document she had just been about to stamp and sign without a second glance like the rest that were piling on her desk.

"There's only one recommendation for chuunin?" she asked the two veterans in front of her, Izumo and Kotetsu with one of her eyebrows raised in question.

"Well, he was the only one who showed the qualities we were looking for that are needed for a higher rank," Izumo replied while Kotetsu backed him up. "Yeah, most of the other participants were rookies, and they didn't perform all that well."

Tsunade was not satisfied with that answer. The first Chuunin Exams in years with rookies reaching the finals and only one nominated for a promotion? "I heard that there were TWO clan prodigies taking part in the exams. A NARA of all people showed more prowess than the either of them. Am I missing something here?" The son of a clan filled with some of the laziest bastards the world had ever seen was able to trump the geniuses of two of the most reputed clans in Konoha in strength, skill and mentality.

Yeah, right. That'll be the day. No wonder she was so skeptical about the whole thing.

But, the two chuunin had their arguments well thought out beforehand.

"Well, first off, Hokage-sama," Izumo defended his opinion. "Neji Hyuuga lost in his fight against the dead last of the rookies. He showed a lot of arrogance and overestimated his abilities, revealing his trump cards too early into the fight while believing it would be enough to beat Uzumaki. It took a few tricks to do it, but Uzumaki triumphed in the end."

Kotetsu picked up from there, "Also, Sasuke Uchiha didn't show much of a strategy in his fight. I can think of at least half a dozen things I would have tried against Gaara if I was the one facing him, but all he really did was try to overpower his opponent without thinking outside the box even once."

"Yeah, he showed he had the strength for the rank, but not much else. And, Shino Aburame never got the chance to show off his skills since his opponent, Sabaku no Kankuro, forfeited before the match began. Shikamaru was the only logical choice for promotion." Izumo finished off with a pleased smile on his face.

Shikamaru's battle was easily the most intellectual one he'd seen in a long time, and he believed the boy fully deserved chuunin. It also didn't hurt that the Fire Daimyo put in a request for the lad to join his Twelve Ninja Guardians once he reached the appropriate age.

The blond hokage was unhappy with their report, if the vein growing above her eye was enough of a tell. They had covered all the angles but neglected one thing and this was what got her slightly pissed off.

"Are you sure you're not forgetting about someone?" The creepy smile on her face slightly unnerved the duo as they reviewed what they'd just said to make sure they hadn't left anything out.

"N…No, hokage-sama," Damn, that woman could be scary when she really wanted to be.

"I don't believe I heard enough about one of the examinees. Other than the fact that he beat Neji, is there another reason you think Naruto shouldn't be promoted?"

Oh, was that all? "Heh," Izumo chuckled. Here he was thinking it was something really serious. "Naruto's got spunk, I'll give him that, but he doesn't make a plan and just jumps into the fray while hoping for the best."

"I wouldn't say that. He DID use strategy against Neji three times, and it worked too." Kotetsu muttered, striking a thinking pose while reviewing Naruto's fight in his mind.

"Huh? What're you talking about, Kotetsu? The thing with the hole was kinda cool, and he impersonated one of his clones to fool Neji. I don't recall him doing anything else like that."

"Don't you remember what he did when the fight started?"

Izumo blinked in confusion. "He made a shit-load of shadow clones. So?"

"He was avoiding direct contact with Neji. He must have been aware of what jyuuken does and fought him from long range."

Alright, THAT was something he never really considered. He'd just thought the kid was going overboard like always, and because Naruto didn't blab out all his plans like everyone else did (points to him for that by the way) he didn't have cause to think about it more.

Tsunade was angered by how they blatantly ignored Naruto, as if his reputation as the last of his class was enough to immediately disqualify him. After all the gaki had done for her, it seemed so wrong that they could just dismiss him like he didn't even matter. She wasn't there to see his performance at the exams but she would be damned if these two wrote him off as just another failure by default.

"So, he showed strategy and strength by outwitting and eventually beating the last year's top rookie." Oh, yeah. Jiraiya had told her all about it on the way back. It was one of her main reasons for wanting to give him a shot at chuunin. From what the old pervert said, her little friend had gallons of untapped potential in him. "Please tell me again, WHY is he not good enough to be a chuunin?"

Izumo looked to his partner to back him up in his claim but realized he was all alone in this one. "He wears bright orange?" he said with a sheepish smile, now unsure of himself.

The hokage's sharp gaze nearly made him wet his pants. Maybe he should've done the smart thing and just shut up.

"If ninja were promoted on account of their clothes and behavior, we wouldn't have half as many jounin as we do. Heck, I wouldn't be sitting here right now if things were done that way." She now addressed the both of them. "If none of you can come up with anything to convince me otherwise, Naruto Uzumaki will be a chuunin, effective the day after tomorrow."

"Actually, hokage-sama," Kotetsu took his chance to say something useful. "I think they could both use the responsibility. Shikamaru's work ethic needs to be improved if he is to be of real use in the battlefield. His physical skills should at least be up to par with a chuunin's in case he finds himself up against an opponent he can't outthink. Naruto also needs a reason to get serious with his career so that he can make full use of that head on his shoulders. His natural charisma will make him a hell of a leader someday. A reason to better themselves is just what they need to grow past their limitations."

Izumo grumbled under his breath, "Hey, I thought we were a team. Aren't you supposed to be supporting ME?" He was still of the opinion that the Kyuubi boy didn't have enough to match the bar.

Kotetsu would have snorted if the hokage wasn't sitting right in front of him. "You know better than anyone else how smart Naruto can be when he's motivated. How many times were you able to catch him back when he was playing his pranks? None, right? Tell me a kid like that doesn't have potential. We can't hold him back just 'cos of what everyone else says about him,"

Izumo had to reluctantly agree that his prejudice towards the village pariah was biasing his opinion of him.

"Besides, we owe that guy our lives! He took down the Suna jinchuuriki AND the Ichibi before they could rain hell on us."

"That wouldn't be hard, given what he is." Izumo countered.

This time, Kotetsu didn't hold back in showing his squad-mate what he really thought. Leveling a gaze he rarely used on his friend, he spoke slowly to add weight to his words, "You didn't read the report done by Sasuke, did you? Naruto only used the red chakra twice the whole fight, and not for more than three seconds. Everything else was all him and his guts. He even summoned the Toad Boss to fight the Ichibi. The last person to use that summon was the Yondaime."

Okay, THAT was damn impressive. "He really did that? Wow!" Awe spread across the converted chuunin's face when he heard that. Any doubts about the Uzumaki were swept from his mind as he tried to imagine what kind of fight that must have been. He really needed to find that Uchiha's report and read it through sometime later.

Pulling a summon like that was no joke and took a fair amount of resilience and chakra. To think that the dobe of the year could reach that level in such a short time made him wonder what else he was the boy was hiding.

A clearing of her throat reminded them they were still in the hokage's office.

"Alright, if you two are done hero worshipping," they blushed in embarrassment at being called out for forgetting where they were while they had their moment of disagreement. "Can we wrap this up please? I really need to get back to work." 'I swear the paperwork wasn't this much when these two came in. It must be breeding, I should call Shizune to neuter it if she has time.'

Pushing aside her medical theories on the kind of anatomy that allowed folders and legal papers to reproduce, Tsunade finalized the promotion of the two gennin with the official representatives of the main examiners.

It only took half an hour to clear up the formal requirements that were needed to advance the two gennin in rank. When all was said and done, the chuunin left the office, and only then did Tsunade call out into the empty room.

"Come on out, you lech. I know you've been listening."

Jiraiya hopped up onto the windowsill from his hiding place just under it on the outside of the building.

"You know, Tsunade, a higher rank means more work for him."

"And your point is?"

Jiraiya could tell that she was playing with him. She already knew what he was going to say. He sighed, "I was planning to take him out of the village for a few years, keep him under the radar while Akatsuki are still dormant. I can't do that if you give him duties in the village."

"I've actually been thinking about that for a while." She watched the hermit lean against the wall next to the open window while waiting to hear her considerations.

"I don't think he should leave the village."

Jiraiya wasn't pleased to hear that. "You know we can't stay here…"

"Why not?" She cut in defensively. "Here in Konoha, he has as good a chance at staying alive as he does out there. In fact, it might even be better for him in the long run since he will be surrounded by people he can trust."

Jiraiya tried to argue but she wouldn't give him an inch. "Don't say that you can train him better if you spend more time with him. You should be aware that between traveling and keeping contact with your spy network you won't have time to teach him effectively. Sometimes the best way to grow is through experience, which he can get from more responsibility. I don't even want to know what kinds of things you would put him up to if he spent more than a month with you." She finished, the tone of her voice showing that she would not be moved.

The Gama Sennin's body slouched slightly in defeat. Tsunade could be more stubborn than a mountain, and to date only Naruto had managed to move her, though that was because he apparently inherited the power to pull miracles out of his ass from his father.

"Fine," Jiraiya relented to Tsunade's relief. "I'll still have to go out myself, but I'll occasionally come back to check up on him."

He made for the window but turned back to the Slug Princess one last time before jumping out of it. "I really hope you know what you're doing. If ANYTHING happens to my godson because of this, nothing will save you from me."

Tsunade shivered when the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees. Jiraiya's warnings were not to be taken lightly, and though she was strong in her own right, she was not so disillusioned as to think she could take him on in a serious battle. The only other time he used that tone with her was in Tanzaku city to advise her not to side with Orochimaru. They had never fought before and she was determined that their shaky relationship wouldn't break up further than it had. Incapacitating him right before a fight with the Snake Sannin had widened the already gaping rift between them and one more slip up from her would be enough to turn them against each other.


	2. Chapter 2

Naruto watched his best friend apprehensively from his position on the roof of the hospital. He could tell something wasn't right with his friend and was worried about him.

Ever since the incident with Orochimaru in the forest of death, Sasuke had turned more violent and was prone to losing himself in anger at the most times. Being subjected to Itachi's mind torture just added fuel to the mix, and now he was actively seeking to fight others.

The gennin cast aside his worries. Sasuke was not that kind of person. He had faith in his teammate and deep down inside him, he felt that they understood each other enough for him to instantly know when the other boy was going through anything serious.

'Whatever. Now's not the time to think about that. It's time I showed Sasuke exactly why I'm not the dobe anymore!' he thought as a snicker escaped him.

The small laugh was easily heard by his opponent. "What's so funny?" Sasuke found it hard to believe that the boy in front of him thought he had a chance against him, enough that he could find time to be merry before they faced off in a much awaited fight.

"Nothing's funny," Naruto answered, bearing a feral grin on his face. "I'm getting excited thinking of how I'm going to beat you right here."

Sasuke's anger only grew at that. 'That cocky bastard! I'll put him in his place once and for all.'

But before they could let loose on each other, an ANBU appeared in between them, bearing news from the hokage.

"Uzumaki Naruto. Your presence is required in Hokage-sama's office." The emotionless voice spoke from behind the animal mask that covered the squatting figure's face and after a few seconds, he had vanished in the manner common to professionals like them.

Naruto was surprised. 'Obaachan wants to see me? Does she know what Sasuke and I were about to do?' He unconsciously cringed at the thought of the punishment that the old woman could dish out at him. Hopefully, he was being called for another matter and Tsunade hadn't uncovered the secret behind how Sandaime seemed to know exactly what was happening anytime in the village.

Sakura released what little breath she had in relief. She had felt so helpless just standing there watching her friend and the boy she loved about to hurt each other in a pointless battle to prove who was better. The ANBU was a godsend she was grateful for that stopped what would likely have been a clash of two terribly strong forces.

"We'll finish this later, Sasuke." Naruto declared before hopping off onto the roof of the nearest building, making a beeline for the Hokage Tower. Unfathomable rage twisted up the dark haired gennin's face. He would not be so easily denied. He WOULD fight Naruto, if it was the last thing he did. He completely ignored Sakura's calls for him to wait for her as he walked back down the stairs to return to his room.

XoX

Naruto hesitantly knocked on the door in front of him. He did his best to calm his racing heart when Tsunade's voice called for him to enter the office. The rush he'd felt from being so close to settling his score with Sasuke was still there, and it had been transferred to fuel his nervousness at being so suddenly called to where he was now.

He pushed open the door and walked in, only to stop with a questioning look on his face. The Chuunin Exam proctors were lined up beside the hokage on one side while she sat behind a desk which had two scrolls laying on it. To her other side was her ever-present aide, Shizune and his two chuunin friends, Kotetsu and Izumo.

"Good. Now that you're both here, we can begin."

Tsunade's words alerted him to the presence of Shikamaru who was just a few paces next to him, also facing her.

'Kotetsu was right, he is observant.' Ibiki thought as he scrutinized the Uzumaki's actions to make sure they weren't making a mistake in giving someone a promotion where they deserved none. He was still a bit skeptical about the idea, given the outburst he remembered coming from the gaki during his part of the exam.

"I wasn't really there when you were both taking part in the Chuunin Exams," Tsunade started off. "But the proctors and their representatives have given me all the details." Here she paused to indicate the men and woman who stood at attention waiting for the announcement to be made.

Naruto knew when he was required to hold his tongue, and this was one such situation. His mind was working furiously to select the most likely reason for his being here out of all the scenarios it was able to cook up.

"The Sandaime thought highly of your match, Shikamaru. And the Fire Daimyo was also very impressed at the kind of foresight you showed." Shikamaru was surprised to hear that. He really didn't expect a nobody like him could have made such an impression on anyone so influential. He had already deduced what he was called here for, and he could tell from the look on Naruto's face that he too had come to the same conclusion.

"Naruto," the mentioned boy stiffened when he was called. "I've heard the details from those who watched your match. They all agree that you have the kind of personality traits that are required of a leader. You inspire others to the point they can face unfavorable odds with enviable resolve. On top of that, I've had the chance to witness you in a life and death battle against a high jounin-level ninja, and I can attest to your fighting skills being as required."

'This can't be happening.' Was Naruto's only cohesive thought. Receiving praise was something fairly foreign to him, and at some point in his abused life he'd decided that he was not worthy of others' positive thoughts toward him.

"Nara Shikamaru and Uzumaki Naruto, I hereby grant you the rank of Chuunin of the Village Hidden in the Leaves." She proceeded to toss them both the scrolls that were on her desk.

"In those scrolls are your new registration IDs. The village will pay for your first chuunin vests, should you damage them you'll need to cover the cost for their repair yourselves. You can pick them up from the reception outside this office."

Naruto nearly failed to grab his scroll before it hit his head. His hand was actually moving in reflex and in the same way did not release the document from its grip.

"But before you leave, the examiners and their representatives have some things to say to you."

It wasn't necessary to tell Naruto to stay. His legs wouldn't obey him even if he wanted to leave.

Ibiki went first. "In the first test, none of you showed any kind of information gathering skills." He nearly smiled when he saw how uncomfortable the two boys got when he said that. "That wasn't the point of the test however. Can any of you say what the test was for?"

It nearly shocked everyone when the gennin clad in orange answered the question, his voice nearly slurring as if he was in a trance.

"You were observing our reactions to high stress levels."

'This kid is getting interesting.' Ibiki thought as he went on. "That's exactly what was happening. Shikamaru, you take a laid back approach to things while analyzing the situation to the best of your ability. That is commendable, although in future you would do well to remember that while you may be able to make sense of things, you should still take consideration of your teammate's conditions in such a situation."

He then addressed the second rookie chuunin. "Your reaction was certainly interesting. You seemed to panic at first, but you quickly came to grips with things. You took control of the situation and your first action was to check how your teammates were doing. In the event of the tenth question, your declaration was meant to remove the fears of everyone in the room, and not just yourself. It was as if you couldn't stand being in a place where people were afraid of something."

Naruto just nodded dumbly, confirming the jounin's suspicions.

"But, you would do better to read the situation better before choosing a course of action for everyone you will be in charge of later on."

Anko was up next after Ibiki had departed his wisdom. "Meh, what can I say? You both survived the forest of death. That's enough for me in my book. But, I should warn you, Naruto, next time you're in unfamiliar terrain with a team, ANY unknowns are a bad thing. I'll let it slide this time because Orochimaru fooled me too. Shikamaru, we monitored some of your actions and I hope the next time your squad's in a fight you won't hang back to use your shadow techniques while they risk their lives to make YOUR plans work. Grow a pair and stop letting others do all the heavy lifting for you."

Shikamaru blushed, a rare event in itself, when Anko used that particular phrase to tell him to man up. He still took the advice, though, in good faith.

Genma was the last to address them. "You both fought well in the third part of the exam," he paused to swivel the needle in his mouth from side to side. "Shikamaru, you honestly need to up your stamina. It was pitiful that you couldn't keep up with the Sand kunoichi, Temari. You've shown that you can use your brain to negate most, if not all, effort you need to put in your battles. You should be aware that that's not all that is needed in a fight. Nearly all high level ninja battles are decided by who has more power on their side than the other. You aren't being promoted to chuunin to sit and think your way through a problem. Chuunin are expected to be ready to fight whenever the situation calls for it. I hope you understand that in every way it can be interpreted."

He stopped talking to catch his breath and let the words sink into the Nara. "Naruto," he continued. "Your ingenuity continues astounding us and your unpredictability is one of your greatest weapons. You know when to fight and when to try and reason with your opponents. Your empathy is both a gift and a curse. Do not let your emotions overtake you in battle, both for yourself and for whoever you're facing or protecting. You don't have to feel responsible for everyone, so limit that part of you when the time calls for it."

"Alright," Tsunade had grown tired of the formality of the proceedings. "Now get out of here and gloat to all your friends or whatever it is new chuunin do." She dismissed them all with a wave of her hand.

Naruto was actually able to take control of his limbs, though he was still a bit dazed over what happened. When they were out of the tower, each donning their new chuunin jackets, Shikamaru spoke for the first time.

"Hah, who would've thought that we of all people would get promoted first out of all the rookies?"

He must've been feeling it as well. Naruto looked upwards to the sky, noticing just how blue it was, as if for the first time.

"Shikamaru! We've been waiting out here for you all this time, and sensei wouldn't tell us what you were doing!" the voice that could only have belonged to Ino screamed into both their ears.

The girl just then noticed the new additions to both boys' clothing. All her irritation at being made to wait for her third squad member in the burning noon sun vanished at that moment.

"He made chuunin?" Apparently, Chouji had noticed too, and his chips remained forgotten in his hands while his mouth hung open in shock.

Asuma laughed and clapped both Shikamaru and Naruto on their backs heavily.

"Congratulations guys! Shikamaru, we're going for barbeque to celebrate. I'm sure Chouji really needs it right now."

"Hey, hey, hey! Shika, I can understand, but Naruto? How the hell was he promoted and Sasuke-kun wasn't!" Ino's protest would have turned Naruto's mood sour if Asuma wasn't there to set his student straight.

"Ino!" His stern voice immediately got her to stop seething over what she thought was an unfair decision. "Sasuke probably didn't show the qualities the examiners were looking for. If Naruto did, it doesn't mean that Sasuke was automatically better and should have been promoted too."

The girl was placated but didn't seem convinced. Her opinion of Naruto was now lower than what it was before, and he was surprised to find her looking at him like he had something that didn't belong to him.

"I didn't ask for this, Ino. I'm just as surprised as you are."

"Huh. Sure you are."

Asuma sighed in defeat. There was no way he could make his student see sense. For now, the best he could do was give Naruto some space. Hopefully, his team would appreciate his achievement with him.

"Let's get going then guys. See you around, Naruto." He herded away the two gennin and new chuunin. Shikamaru gave his colleague a last glance before leaving with his squad.

XoX

Naruto wasn't sure what to expect now. If Ino's reaction to his promotion was anything to go by, he couldn't imagine how angry Sakura and Sasuke would be. He couldn't just avoid them either.

'What did I do to deserve this?' he wondered as he headed to his measly apartment to find something other than orange he could wear to match the green vest he had on.


	3. Chapter 3

Sakura never left Sasuke's side that whole afternoon, and it was now starting to get on his nerves. He was already mad at being denied the fight he'd been anticipating for so long. A hairsbreadth more of Sakura's meaningless chattering and he would be taking his frustrations out on her.

"Yo!" the greeting came from the room's window where Kakashi was sitting on the ledge holding his trademark orange book.

"Kakashi-sensei, don't scare us like that!"

'About time someone showed up.' Sasuke was getting tired of only getting hospital visits from Sakura and Ino. If he had to stay in that sorry excuse of an establishment for more than a week he might just pull an 'Itachi' on all his fangirls.

Kakashi saw Sasuke's relief at his arrival and eye-smiled at him.

'Ah, I think Sakura's been taking good care of him.'

"I just got back from a mission…" he trailed off when he flipped the page of his book and drew his eye to the top of the new passage.

"And?" Sakura was getting irritated that her sensei interrupted her time with her best friend.

The eye lazily turned to look at them. "I was looking for Naruto. I thought he'd be with you." The gennin had different reactions to that.

'Interesting,' Kakashi thought. Sasuke had grown angry and looked just about ready to blow a fuse. Sakura had lowered her face to hide it with the bangs of her hair and was now mumbling, like a child who was caught playing with matches after it was told not to.

"I didn't hear that, Sakura. Would you please repeat what you said."

She stole a glance at Sasuke as if asking for permission. The boy burst out laughing like a madman, and to tell the truth, it unnerved the jounin to hear.

"Everything's about Naruto nowadays, isn't it?" Sasuke whispered darkly.

'So THAT'S what this is all about.'

"WHY IS EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM NOW!"

"Sasuke!" the boy sobered up a bit at the reprimanding tone. "You're acting like a spoilt brat."

How true that simple statement was. Because the attention had shifted from him, because he wasn't the best anymore, the last Uchiha was now throwing a tantrum.

"You already have everything anyone would want. You shouldn't be jealous that there are people out to kill your teammate."

Sakura's head snapped up. "Someone's trying to kill Naruto?"

'Whoops! Too much said.' Kakashi thought. The cat was out of the bag now.

"That's why Itachi's looking for him?"

Dammit! Now Sasuke had caught on as well.

Kakashi nervously rubbed the back of his head, much like his not-present student. "Aah, forget about that. I was looking for Naruto so I could congratulate him."

Sakura's short attention span could be a wonderful thing sometimes.

'Nicely saved, Kakashi.' The man gave himself a pat on the back.

"What's he being congratulated for?" she asked the question.

"For making chuunin, of course." Kakashi stated like it was an obvious thing everyone should have been aware of.

"NANI!"

The two disbelieving voices chorused. Apparently they weren't any more aware of it than the typical civilian on the street.

Sakura immediately voiced her lack of awareness. "Stop making jokes like that, sensei! If Naruto was made chuunin, Sasuke-kun would have been called for it too." She seemed firm in the belief that anything good happening to the team would start and end with her beloved.

Sasuke wasn't in as much of a hurry to discount the claim. With the kind of stuff that was happening around the blond idiot lately, he wouldn't have been that much surprised if he was suddenly named the kage of some new hidden village. As it was, he couldn't detect any deceit coming from the jounin.

"You're not lying are you? He's really a chuunin."

Kakashi just nodded to confirm as he turned to the next page of the book. Sakura was struck dumb when it was made a fact. She wasn't sure if she should be happy for him or mad at him for taking the new rank ahead of Sasuke.

"How?"

"The examiners felt that he showed all the necessary requirements to be a leader."

That just wasn't enough for Sasuke. "Does this have anything to do with what happened during the invasion?" It sounded about right for the fools on the examiner panel to promote his (begrudgingly) best friend out of gratitude for beating Gaara.

"I highly doubt that. Shikamaru was also awarded chuunin rank for his performance in the exams."

Another lowlife? And a lazy one to boot, what was the world coming to? Sasuke toyed with the idea that when Orochimaru put the curse seal on him he'd been sent into an alternate universe where idiots were praised and got stronger while geniuses like himself remained stagnant and never improving.

Sakura felt guilty for wanting to be angry at Naruto because of his achievement. She'd forgotten that he saved her life when Sasuke couldn't and she felt that she'd somehow broken her promise to be nicer to him in that regard. She had seen his serious side a number of times and apparently so had the chuunin examiners. If he was serious most of the time, he really could live up to the new rank. Maybe she should cut him a bit more slack?

"Anyway, if you see him you'll tell him for me, won't you? I really need a shower. Ja ne!" He poofed away putting on his weird version of a sheepish grin. The lazy man probably wanted to avoid a really awkward moment with his students.

"Sakura, please leave me." The order, for it was an order and sounded nothing like a request, was followed with only the slightest hesitance.

"A…are you sure, Sasuke-kun?" The look on his face cast away any doubts as to whether he was sure he wanted her near him. She speeded out of the room to avoid angering him while giving a barely audible "I'll come see you tomorrow."

He actually meant for her to leave him alone for a few days, not just the night. But alas, his reluctance to say something that would hurt her was instead turned against him. Now he would have to suffer her annoyance for another whole day.

XoX

Naruto kicked shut the door right after entering his apartment. He was angry that the man serving at the counter of the Shinobi Supply Stores didn't believe him when he claimed he was a chuunin and wanted a custom-made uniform to go with his jacket. After arguing a few times, which involved him returning home to retrieve his new ID to convince the man who wouldn't take the damn VEST he was wearing as a sign that he was telling the truth, he'd given his design preferences to the guy, and the pig actually tried to get him to pay for the whole thing ON THE SPOT!

The thought made him grit his teeth in annoyance. How much of a fool did they think he was? Sure, he'd done some dumb things back in the day, but he was different after becoming a ninja. You'd think they would have noticed the difference by now. Then again, these were the same people who insisted that he was the demon he held in his gut for most of his life.

"Oho, gaki!" came the jolly greeting of the great sage of Mount Mobyoku. "I just heard the news. I bet you're bouncing off the walls in excitement right now."

Naruto just stared at where the man was leaning beside his open window and sighed in defeat before retelling what had happened with Ino outside the Tower.

Jiraiya took on a concerned and understanding posture when his student was done with his short recount of events.

"So, a bunch of people won't be happy about this…"

"Yeah, Ero-sennin. I don't think anything I do will ever be good enough."

"Mmhm. That's just too bad." He suddenly slapped the boy upside the head. "And since when have YOU cared what other people think of what you do? Dear Log, **(not a typing error, see ArashiKage Naruto's profile)** you paraded around in a clown outfit,"

"Hey!"

"For nearly five years! Now you're worried some people won't like you because you have more authority than they do?"

Well, when he put it that way, it DID seem a bit ironic.

"Bah! What're you here for anyway?"

Jiraiya took on his more business-like personality. "I'm going to be leaving for a while and you might not hear from me anytime soon."

Naruto stowed away his fresh groceries in his tiny fridge while listening to his mentor talk.

"Since I won't be able to train you the way I wanted to…"

"Hold up! You were serious about that?" Honestly, Naruto just thought the man was going to dump him the first chance he got.

"Of course, you ungrateful gaki! I took you on as an apprentice the moment you signed the Toad Contract."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at him in suspicion. "You're not just saying that because I'm a chuunin now, are you?"

"On my honor as a Sannin, I mean what I said." He sprang into a weird kind of salute with his two fingers making a V-shape on his forehead strangely reminiscent of the horns on his hitai-ate.

As if his word as a Sannin counted for anything. Naruto held up one finger, "One of the Sannin drinks and gambles enough to kill a middle-aged man," he held up his second finger. "The other peeps on naked women and writes books about sex," he held up the third finger. "And the last makes deals by offering to bring to life a person's dead relatives. How do the Sannin have any honor to swear on?"

Jiraiya sweatdropped at that. The kid sure knew how to ruin a moment.

"Well, YOU don't have anything to swear on." He grumbled.

Touche. "So, if you can't train me, why are you here?"

The hermit pulled three scrolls out of the folds of his cloak. "I'm leaving you instructions on things to learn before I see you again. I wouldn't do this normally, but if Tsunade-hime thinks you're good enough to be a chuunin, then you're ready to learn these things. If we were able to travel together, I would have decided in that time if you were capable of handling what I have for you."

Naruto took off his new vest and set it on his kitchen table. Looking at it, he still couldn't believe it was now his to wear. "What will I be learning, Ero-sennin?" he returned his focus to the task at hand.

"Don't call me that," he responded automatically. "It's time you learned the art of Fuinjutsu. This here," he indicated the scroll with a red ribbon around it. "Will give you the basics, and, for the love of Log, don't experiment without me around to supervise, the backlash of a seal gone wrong can kill you."

That was an image Naruto really didn't need. Dying because of a few scribbles on a sheet of paper was NOT the way he wanted to leave this world. It just wouldn't do for the future hokage, dattebayo!

"This one," he showed the scroll with a green ribbon around it. "has a meditation exercise that's supposed to help with your horrible chakra control."

"I thought I already had good control!" Naruto screamed indignantly. "I can walk on water without thinking about it, how is that not enough?"

Jiraiya snorted, "Please, you're just lucky to be able to do that. I can feel your chakra from the other side of Konoha, why do you think it's so easy to find you all the time?"

Naruto had nothing to say to that. "Then what's the last one?"

"I wasn't finished with the second one, baka! It also has an exercise to channel chakra to your hair to harden it, somewhat similar to what some Akimichi do. The last one," he waved this one around for emphasis. It had no ribbon holding it closed. "is an assignment I expect you to have completed the next time I'm around, and no," he stopped Naruto before he could say anything. "it doesn't involve 'research'" the boy immediately calmed down. He wasn't going to let the old pervert trick him into getting material for his next book in the name of training.

"Naruto,"

"Hm?"

"I meant what I said earlier. I really did want you as my apprentice. I also meant it when I told you I can't hold your hand every time I teach you something. You should realize by now," the perverted sage knelt to meet his godson at eye level. "all the great ninja discovered things on their own. If I'm there with you the whole way, you won't ever become a great ninja, will you?"

He smiled at the gaki and ruffled his hair a bit. "See you soon, short-stuff. And don't slack off."

Jiraiya stood up and jumped out of the fairly roomy window out into the night, leaving Naruto staring off into where he was. A few minutes later, his head popped back into view.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot," he grinned evilly. "The hokage said to give you this."

He tossed a roll of paper over to Naruto then disappeared again. Confused, Naruto pulled it open and read it over then groaned audibly. It was a duty timetable, and he was on patrol for the South Wall that night with Shikamaru, until THREE A.M. THE NEXT DAY, EVERY OTHER DAY! Someone seemed determined to make his life a living hell and when he found out who, he would make them regret crossing the Prankmaster!

XoX

Elswhere in Konoha, Kotetsu sneezed rather suddenly when he and Izumo were just about to hand over their gate duty to the next shift.

"You coming down with something, Kotetsu?" his friend enquired.

"Nah," he rubbed his nose. "I think our new chuunin just got their new rosters, Izumo."

"Think they'll figure out you're the one that made them?"

Kotetsu shivered as a chill went down his spine. "I hope not. I'm not afraid of Shikamaru, but I'd hate for Naruto to learn to put his pranking skills into use torturing people. I don't have a death wish, so if you don't mind, could you please keep it to yourself."

His long-time partner laughed at him. "You're afraid of some rookie? I thought you were tougher than that."

Kotetsu just muttered two words that nearly sent Izumo into post-traumatic stress. "Itching powder, man. Itching powder."

"Okay, I see where you're coming from. Remember, we swore never to talk about that again." 'You more than me anyway. You SHOULD be scared.'

XoX

The group that called itself the Sound Four crouched low in the trees as they planned how they were going to infiltrate Konoha that very night to make contact with Uchiha Sasuke. Their lord, Orochimaru had made it clear that they were to do everything they could to get Sasuke to him as soon as possible, preferably when he was willing.

"We should just kill all these tree-hugging bastards." Whined Sakon.

"Shut up, fuck-face. You're not the only one bored out of their fucking brains with this."

"You shouldn't talk like that, Tayuya." Jirobo reprimanded his colleague.

"Or what you sack of shit, lard bag? I'll talk however I fucking want!"

"Both of you shut up." Kidoumaru silenced them with his sharp administrative tone. When it was time for business, he was like their unofficial leader, though they always reminded him that he wasn't. "We'll be going through the South gate at around midnight. We should reach the Uchiha in an hour and make Orochimaru-sama's wishes known to the brat. I estimate we'll be done with everything by tomorrow night, that is, if the Leaf don't give us any trouble."

"Yeah, right. These soft fools couldn't hope to match us on our worst day. We got in easy during the invasion, this won't be any different." Sakon grinned in full confidence of their abilities to bypass Konoha defenses.

None of them could have anticipated that Naruto Uzumaki, the number one unpredictable ninja of the Leaf would be standing in their way.


	4. Chapter 4

My apologies precious readers, I must embark on an epic soul searching hiatus to find the ultimate inspiration for a Naruto fanfiction with an actual plotline! That and animation classes have me sleeping three hours at a time to finish all my assignments by the deadlines. Do not weep, for I shall return, dear friends! In a month or so with a new story that MIGHT knock your socks off, and a hoard of new chapters for the other stories (hey, just 'cos I can't update, doesn't mean I can't keep adding little snippets to build chapters and eventually whole stories).


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